Avengers: Endgame's Joe Russo mocks backlash to Black Widow death

"My jaw fell harder than she did."

By Stefania Sarrubba

12 Dec 2022

scarlett johansson as natasha romanoff, black widow

Marvel StudiosDisney

MCU's Joe Russo has offered his own take on one of TikTok's latest trends, making fun of the criticism over Black Widow's death.

One half of the Russo Brothers, the Avengers: Endgame co-director recorded a video in his trailer where he plays "the tiniest violin in the world" to Dido and Eminem's version of 'Stan'.

The caption revealed Russo was mocking fans who were understandably upset at the decision to kill off Scarlett Johansson's character Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow.

@agbofilms
the raw footage of joe russo filming this alone in his trailer might be better than the actual trend #russobrothers #blackwidow #avengers
♬ оригинальный звук - zotov

"I'll never forgive you for killing Natasha," the clip's caption reads as Russo pulls a sad face.

"My jaw fell harder than she did," one user commented, while another wrote: "Emotional damage."

In Endgame, released in 2019, Natasha and Clint Barton aka Hawkeye travel to Vormir to acquire the Soul Stone. But once there, the stone's keeper, Red Skull, tells them that the gem can only be taken by sacrificing a loved one. Black Widow then makes the ultimate sacrifice and jumps to her death, allowing a devastated Hawkeye to get the stone.

Arguably one of the saddest moments in the MCU – courtesy of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – the scene was met with fan backlash upon release.

Johansson last returned in the role of the Russian spy in stand-alone prequel film Black Widow, released in 2021 and introducing Florence Pugh as Natasha's "sister" Yelena Belova.

In the post-credits scene, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hires Yelena to kill Barton, whom she believes is responsible for Natasha's death, kicking off the events of Disney+ series Hawkeye.

Black Widow's double release became a talking point when Johansson sued Disney over the film's streaming rights last year. The lawsuit alleged that the media conglomerate breached Johansson's contract by releasing the film on its Premier Access service while it was still in cinemas. The lawsuit was settled in October for an undisclosed sum.

Black Widow is streaming on Disney+.